Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cutting tools for cakes and confectionary items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spool of cutting thread adapted to dispense in lengths, whereby the cutting thread is designed for cutting cake without disrupting the icing design or the structure of the cake when creating individual slices thereof.
Cakes are baked pastry items that are typically consumed during parties, birthdays, weddings, and other celebratory events. Typical cakes are bread-like food items having an icing or pastry frosting exterior. The cake can be stacked between different layers of icing or filler, while the exterior generally has a coating of icing and a design to commemorate the event.
Cutting a cake is a straight forward task that can be accomplished using a knife or pie-cutting utensil. However, cutting cakes into neat, individual slices that retain the layered structure of the cake without destroying its shape is more difficult. Most often the cake layers will stick to the cutting tool when the user attempts to retrieve the tool after making the cut. This causes the layers to separate and the cake to lose its form, or even spill over and create a mess. Furthermore, cutting a cake using a short cutting implement, such as a knife or pie cutter, does not guarantee successfully creation of equal divisions or straight line patterns.
The present invention is herein provided to solve these known issues in the art of cake cutting and dispensing. Specifically, a spool of cutting thread is provided, wherein removable lengths of cake cutting thread are wound within a spool and dispensed therefrom. The individual lengths are separable from the spool to provide a user with a cutting thread having a tabbed first end and a free second end. The tabbed end of each length serves as a pull tab to pull the free end of the cutting thread through the cake after the thread has been used to cut a straight line down through the cake layers. The dispensed length of cutting thread is then disposed of, and the spool is closed for later use. Overall, the device provides a dispensable spool of cutting thread for use in cutting cakes.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to cutting tools and thread cutting devices. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
There exist devices in the prior art that relate to food product and cake cutting tools, including those that utilize thread as the cutting implement. However, most of these relate to larger assemblies for cutting lengths of items on a large board, or are directed to tools for specific cake geometries. The present invention pertains to a cutting implement spool and dispensing structure that is useful for neatly cutting and preparing individual slices of a cake, where the cake can be sheet cake, layered cake, or any similar pastry or confectionary items where presentation is important.
One such device in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,848 to Bruner, which discloses a cake layer cutting apparatus that allows a user to slice through a cake in horizontal planes accurately and evenly. The apparatus comprises a pair of supports and a handle portion bridging the two supports. Below the handle is a plurality of wires drawn tight between the supports by a rotatable axle, which tensions the wires for the user to draw them through a cake for a slicing procedure. The user grabs the overhead handle and pulls the apparatus across the cake, wherein the tensioned wires cut the cake along horizontal planes. While disclosing a cake cutting device using wire cutters, the Bruner device is limited to cutting horizontally and is not suited for creating individual slices, which is the primary function of the present thread cutting tool.
Another such device is U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,817 to Aby, which discloses a slicing device that is useful for cutting various foods using a wire cutting element. The device comprises a base forming a flat cutting surface, and a wire cutting element mounted to a U-shaped bar that is attached to the base. A handle at the end of the bar is rotatable therefrom and supports an end of the wire cutting tool. When cutting, the bar is rotated away from the board, as is the handle, which tensions the wire and draws it downward onto the cutting surface. Articles thereon are cut into slices by the wire cutting element. While providing a wire cutting tool, the Aby device requires the wire cutting element to be drawn through a food product, and then pulled back through the same channel in the food as the wire created. In cakes, this causes the icing and the cake itself to be drawn with the wire, causing the cake to separate or become messy. The present invention contemplates lengths of cutting thread that are pressed downward on a cake, and then a free end of the thread is drawn through the cake from the base and outward therefrom, eliminating this concern of the prior art.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,190 to Parraga discloses a cake cutting device that is adapted to cut circular cakes, wherein a circular frame is provided that supports a length of wire strung thereon to create a plurality of equally spaced, radial cutting elements that create individual cake slices when the frame and cutting elements are forced downward onto the cake. A pair of crossing, U-shaped handles is removably disposed above the planar ring, allowing the user to press thereon to draw the cutting elements through the cake and the frame around the circular geometry of the cake. Similar to the Aby device, the Parraga device suffers from an inability to remove the wire cutting elements without destroying or disrupting the cake. The Parraga device does not allow the user to remove the frame or cutting wires without drawing the assembly through the cut cake. The present invention eliminates this draw back by providing a singular length of cutting thread with a free end, the free end being slidable through the already cut cake after the slicing action has finished.
The present invention is a new and novel means of cutting cake into individual proportions without destroying the structure of the cake layers or the icing during the process. The device includes a spool having dispensable lengths of cutting thread that are adapted to be utilized in cutting through cake and being pulled therethrough without lifting the thread through the newly created cut. This allows the icing and cake batter to be separated without tugging or separating the layers when retrieving the cutting implement, which commonly occurs when cutting a cake. Overall, the device provides a disposable cutting thread for improving the process and the final results of cutting cake into portions.
It is submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing cake cutting tools. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.